The excitement of young tennis fans experienced a hike as Emma Raducanu played her opening match at the Qatar Open. While everyone was expecting to see her back with the same levels of dominance, Raducanu kept them in the waiting zone once again as she faced a disappointing defeat against Anhelina Kalinina.

The defeat was not only a blow to fans but also made them curious about the reason behind it. As her recent sponsorship schedule came to light, fans developed a new speculation about her scattered attention.

Emma Raducanu reveals how her sponsorship commitments are turning out to be hectic

Rising British tennis star Emma Raducanu encountered a tough defeat in her opening match at the Qatar Open. As she recently returned to the court after a hiatus due to surgery, she was met with disappointment as she struggled to overcome her first mark in the tournament. As fans tried recapitulating the possible reasons behind her setback, her sponsorship commitments came out to be the main rationale.

Raducanu currently finds herself struggling for a comeback momentum along with being surrounded by multiple questions regarding her recent sponsorship acts. Her recent attendance at a hotel launch event in Dubai was scheduled within a small gap of less than 48 hours before the match fueled rumors. But the Briton labeled her duties as a bit “unfair” in an interview with ‘The Times’, as Stuart Fraser pointed out.

In an interview with ‘Sky Sports’, Raducanu admitted, “I think I was struggling with everything, serve, return, forehand, backhand.” She acknowledged that her performance wasn’t anywhere close to what she expected and counted multiple factors behind it, including a lack of practice. After her disappointing defeat in Doha, a new speculation of reduced focus on the sport has entered the scene.

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Raducanu counts lack of practice as the main reason behind her setback

As Emma Raducanu came up with answers regarding her recent defeat, she mentioned how it was just her first appearance after a long year of keeping herself away from the game. “To be honest I felt like I never really got into it. I think it was a combination of things. It’s like my first-day match I think I’ve played in a year, so that’s different,” she said.

Concluding her explanation, Raducanu marked the requirement of more practice to attain her form back. “Honestly, I think I need to practice training outside a bit more because it’s very different, and also the light, conditions, shadows,” she added. As the tennis star continues her comeback journey, it still remains to be seen if she manages to cope with the competition that lies ahead.

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